Grace and Makka — A journey to independence
For Grace, the biggest challenge wasn’t the coursework. It was everything around it, the travel, the crowds, the being away from home without her mum by her side.
Before Makka, Grace had made it through her first year of college relying on a local-authority-funded taxi, door to door, and couldn’t go out anywhere without her mum. Grace said, “I struggled every day, I was on end, trying to get through my course with very little support.”
Her mum, Toni, remembers the uncertainty as Grace prepared to move up to Level 2.
“I don’t feel that she’d have been able to cope with all the stresses and strains of travelling. We weren’t sure how she’d cope with Level 2, or indeed whether she’d actually finish a year.”
Makka joined the family three weeks before term started, exactly when Grace needed him most. As Grace was studying Animal Management and working closely with small animals, he first had to prove he could stay calm and unpredatory around them. “We couldn’t have wished for Makka to be a better match to Grace,” Toni said. “He’s very gentle, very laid back, quite dopey, bless him. But also quite on the ball, and knows just when to interact with Grace.”
At college, Makka became Grace’s constant, giving her deep pressure therapy when overwhelmed, guiding her to a trusted staff member to re-regulate, and interrupting self-injurious behaviours like picking or nail-biting. He learned her boundaries too.
“I don’t like people in my space or touching me. Makka will block behind me to stop people coming too close, or will ‘orbit’ circle round me to keep people away.”
For the first year of their partnership, Grace still relied on the taxi. Then, bit by bit, Makka gave her back her independence. Eighteen months in, she began travelling home from college alone; within another year, she was making the outward journey too, most days on two buses each way.
“There is no way I could’ve done this without the support of my dog. We have come so far.”
That independence has only grown. Grace now travels to appointments, runs errands, and visits friends who’ve moved away, often navigating long or unfamiliar routes with Makka at her side. Once, when her mainline station in London was closed, she rerouted across the city with Makka, a sat-nav, and her mum on the phone. “This would never have been possible without Makka,” Toni said.
Grace went on to complete six years of college, gaining two Level 3 qualifications. She now works with horses, and is self-employed.
“Mac has radically transformed our life as a family, because he enables Grace to have the independence that any 20-something wants. She goes to work now, she has her own business, and she is her own person, rather than being somebody accompanied by a family member.”
Grace puts it simply:
“He’s my constant, my soul mate, my best friend.”
This September, help us begin more partnerships that can open the door to greater independence